my mom and i are going to paris in march / april to celebrate her 60th birthday - would LOVE some hotel rec's. nothing too expensive, as we'd both rather spend money on food & shopping. i haven't been to paris in over 10 years and am open to all suggestions - thanks in advance!

I am planning to visit my daughter in Paris in May....and I have been pricing hotels (really as cheap as I can find) and it seems that an appartment is about the same...I have dealt with lodgis before (for my daughter for a semester) and u do have to put down a security deposit, but we got it back very quickly afterwards....www.lodgis.com and click Paris, short term or vacation apts.....and u can check off a price range and area....fun to check out the pics anyway...and u get a kitchen....all I want is a fridge to store stinky cheese and the discount hotels don't seem to have minibars...good luck_________________Make me half the person my dog thinks I am.

I second the apartment recommendation. We stayed in an apartment last April. Of course with the children, it made life much more simple. But one of my favorite things is going to the market. Having a kitchen enabled us to actually buy food at the market. And as nice as it is to dine out in Paris, after a few days I can use a little break. The freshly roasted take out chicken was the perfect thing then. It was also nice to run down to the bakery two doors down for bread for breakfast (with fruit from the market and yogurt from the grocery store.) I great start to a day. Oh, and I enjoy being in an actual neighborhood.

I went to Paris in 2001 and stayed at a little hotel called Hôtel Louvre Saint-Romain. It wasn't anything fancy but it was reasonably priced, clean and well-maintained and so close to the Louvre.

I'd also recommend if you are going to be seeing a few of the museums in Paris is to buy the Paris Museum Pass. It is well worth the money. The queues for some of these museums can be miles long and the museum pass allows you to walk up to the front door past the queues and straight in without waiting._________________Paula (and sometimes Wanda) from Only Cookware
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In Cambronne they have a really great Chinese restaurant with glorious cuisine we always go there at least once and nearby also is a great patiserie (across the road from Cambronne Metro).

Cambronne is my favourite part of Paris because you can walk to the Eiffel Tower and it takes about 20-30 minutes (depending how many shops you stop at on the way). A great place if you don't want to be in tourist central. Cambronne and Grenelle are lovely so you must check them out.

The markets are held on weekends mainly and are situated underneath the railway bridge (get off at La Motte Picquet Grenelle Metro Station or a short walk from Cambronne Metro Station).

I highly recommend the fresh coffee, the fresh flowers, the fresh baker and cheese sellers and also the seller who makes a mean (hot) and edible Risotto and I think he also sells roasted chicken and potatos. You can find a lot of different food things there. Its a melting pot of different cuisine.

In fact thinking about it I've decided to book a 3 day visit next month

We returned from a short holiday in France yesterday and through Alisdair Sawday's excellent guide found L'Hotel des Arts, just off Rue d'Abesses in Montmartre. It was extremely clean with rooms just about big enough but the main thing in its favour was the price 95 euros per room per night for superior room with ensuite bathroom.

Plus - and this is the main reason for staying if you're a food lover - it's just moments away from Rue Lepic which must have some of the best food shops that I have ever seen !

GB, that hotel is where a few of our friends have stayed while visiting us. It is just a short walk to us (we were on rue Lepic, but now a bit further up the hill).

Have to agree that it is good value and clean - which is a big thing for me, and you get a nice ensuite bathroom which is a bonus.

The shops along rue Lepic and rue des Abesses are great and there is always something luscious to tempt the tastebuds as you walk along. I do my shopping along there every few days._________________If you cannot feel your arteries hardening, eat more cheese. If you can, drink more red wine. Diet is just "die" with a "t" on the end. Exercise is walking into the kitchen.